Andrea Leoncavallo

About Me

October 21, 2009: I began a yearlong journey. I looked at my life and saw that it is overflowing with amazing women who have touched, moved and inspired me. I deeply wanted to acknowledge these women for what they have given me and I wanted to share my thoughts and feelings with a public audience through words and images. So I challenged myself to create 365 photographs which would be revealed on my website, a different one each day. This was the birth of a photo project entitled SHE INSPIRES 365, which features 365 strong and beautiful women - and like any new baby it is thriving and evolving.

January 28, 2010: The 100th day of SHE INSPIRES 365: For 100 days I have shared stories about the women who have made a difference in my life. Their compassion has inspired me to contribute to community, to love unconditionally, and to pay their generosity forward. I will continue to photograph the women in my life and write about what they mean to me throughout the year. But I also want to include those women who inspire others in our community and attempt to capture that quality in an image. So as the year unfolds I will photograph a diverse range of women and infuse their unique voices into this project. Each day I will feature a new portrait, however on certain days I will also include a story about her from a friend, a personal answer to a question, poetry, or a six-word memoir written by the woman herself. Whatever it may be, it will inspire me as it creates a space for recognizing the natural brilliance of women. Photography, empowering women, building community, and loving my family. Photographing 365 women over the course of one year and sharing their faces with my community. Raising $100,000 for women and young girls in Haiti through a collaborative effort of creative women in Portland. Documentary storytelling and photography.

My Vision for the Future

That all women will have the opportunities that I have to make a difference in the world, and that their voices will be heard loud and clear, always.